It is often necessary to immobilize a patient in order to lift, carry, transport or treat the patient, and for such purposes various immobilizing and restraining board devices are employed. Such devices are often referred to as restraining boards, spine boards, immobilizers, torso boards, spinal restraining boards, fracture boards, or as used herein, trauma boards. Typically, such boards are in various sizes and shapes and often contain various holes and slots therein so that straps may be passed therethrough to immobilize various parts of the patient's body, or to place the patient in various immobilized positions.
For example, typical trauma boards are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,120 wherein a trauma board has peripheral slots and crossover-type straps to restrain the upper portion of a patient's body, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,982 is directed to a spine board which includes a foot support to prevent the patient from sliding off the spine board when raised to a vertical position, and which provides for a wheel assembly so the spine board may be easily transported. A simplified fracture board is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,231 wherein a fracture board is described for emergency personnel for immobilizing the upper portion of an injured patient with a plurality of slots spaced around the periphery of the board. An infant restraining board is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,523 wherein a patient is immobilized in a spread eagle-type postion, which spine board includes moveable head restraining pads on either side of the head. A spine board that includes a plurality of various slots and holes is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,734 and which also includes strap means to restrain the head movement. Another slotted board used to immobilize children using a pressure release fastening means is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,141, which also includes a head restraint for a child, but which head restraint comprises a head band. Spinal devices with head restraints are shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,748 wherein a padded head restraint is used on a spinal board. An immobilizer for infants which employs a head strap and a seat with a backboard with various slots is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,399.
Despite the numerously described trauma boards in the prior art, it is desirable to provide an effective, simple trauma board particularly for use with children which permits easy and rapid adjustments of the straps and for rapid and easy immobilization of each of the limbs of the patient, the body of the patient, and importantly in combination also provides for the total immobilization of the head in a simple and effective manner.